Castle couldn't care less about the two FBI agents who had been assigned to monitor him. He suspected they had ulterior motives, but he brushed them off. Instead, he handed Beckett the non-fat latte he had bought her and said, "Before heading home last night, I had someone look into this Marcus Gates guy. Turns out, four years ago, he nearly beat a man to death in a bar fight and was sentenced to four years in Shinnecock Prison. He only got out about a month ago."
Castle continued, spinning his web of half-truths, "I dug deeper into his recent history and realized that it's highly possible he's the 3XK killer, who mysteriously disappeared four years ago. Shouldn't we visit Shinnecock Prison and talk to his cellmate? Maybe we can find out where this guy's hiding."
Castle was, of course, lying through his teeth. His real intention was to shift Beckett's focus toward Jerry Tyson, the true mastermind behind the 3XK killings. Marcus Gates and Paul McCard were probably already at the bottom of the ocean or reduced to ashes, thanks to Big Ivan. There was no chance Beckett, the NYPD, or even the FBI could ever find them now.
By steering the investigation in this direction, Castle could ensure the police believed Marcus Gates was still out there, all while luring the real 3XK, Jerry Tyson, into a false sense of security. Jerry would think his grand plan was foolproof, but Castle was waiting for the perfect moment to kill him when he tried to escape. After all, Jerry Tyson had caused nothing but trouble for Castle and Beckett in the original storyline, even nearly getting Beckett killed. If Castle could kill him now, it would save a lot of future headaches, like when Jerry tricked the police into thinking he was Espo or Lanie, hanging their look-alikes from a pier with fishing wire.
With Marcus Gates and his accomplice Paul McCard already dead, Castle needed to keep Beckett and the police chasing ghosts. The easiest way was to stick to the original plotline—make it seem like the police were closing in on Marcus, which would lull Jerry Tyson into believing his plan was working. Then, when Jerry tried to escape, Castle could legally and definitively eliminate the real 3XK killer.
Castle's suggestion to visit Shinnecock Prison and talk to Marcus's former cellmate was met with agreement from everyone. After a few phone calls from Esposito, they discovered that Marcus's closest friend in prison had been none other than Jerry Tyson. Tyson had been incarcerated for drug charges, but in prison, he was under Marcus's protection. Apparently, when Marcus was released, he had even left all his belongings to Jerry. This suggested Jerry knew more about Marcus than he let on.
Without hesitation, Beckett and Castle headed to Shinnecock Prison, located just outside of New York City, to meet with Jerry Tyson.
During the prison visit, Castle remained unusually quiet, letting Beckett take the lead in the conversation with Jerry. Castle couldn't help but stifle his laughter as Jerry, unaware that his identity as the real 3XK killer had been completely exposed, played his part, pretending to be a frightened, timid man. Jerry tried to maintain the facade of a scared inmate who feared retaliation from Marcus. He didn't realize Castle was silently laughing at his pathetic performance.
The conversation was short since it was only the police's first probing attempt. Jerry, still playing the role of a nervous man, didn't offer much help or agree to cooperate. Beckett, unaware of the truth, didn't suspect that the unassuming man in front of her was the real 3XK killer. After getting only a few unimportant details, Beckett and Castle left the prison.
Standing outside the prison gates, Beckett sensed something off. She turned to Castle and asked, "Why were you so quiet during the conversation with Jerry Tyson? That's not like you. Did you notice something I missed?"
Castle, always ready with a quick response, nodded. "Yeah, I was watching Jerry closely. I couldn't shake the feeling that he knows a lot more than he's letting on. You heard him. He lived with Marcus for almost four years. There's no way they didn't talk. He either really is scared of Marcus, or he's waiting for the right offer."
Castle's suspicions were genuine, but he kept them vague enough to let Beckett interpret them as she saw fit.
After thinking over Castle's words and recalling the conversation with Jerry, Beckett agreed. It seemed plausible that Jerry might know more than he was saying. However, she wasn't ready to make any deals with him yet. After all, she had just prevented Marcus from committing another murder, and she had plenty of evidence against him. There was no need to negotiate with a small-time criminal like Jerry unless they hit a dead end.
Beckett had full confidence in her team's ability to find Marcus, but she didn't know that no matter how skilled they were, Marcus Gates was already beyond their reach. Castle, on the other hand, knew that within a day or two, Beckett would have no choice but to turn to Jerry Tyson for help. The 3XK killer had a pattern of murdering three people within a week. While Castle and Beckett had disrupted Marcus's plan, buying them some time, by tomorrow, Beckett would likely be desperate enough to strike a deal with Jerry, offering his release in exchange for information on Marcus's whereabouts.
And when that happened, Castle's plan would continue to unfold perfectly.
Back at the precinct, Beckett quickly set things in motion. She assigned the task of capturing Marcus Gates and issued a warrant for his arrest. Finally, the FBI agents found themselves useful, using their connections to expand the search nationwide.
Meanwhile, Castle didn't bother staying at the precinct for the busy work he knew would amount to nothing. After dropping Beckett off, he drove to Long Island. He had two objectives. First, the owner of Gianna's estate had finally named a price. Gianna's butler had worked his magic and negotiated a good deal for Castle, offering the estate for $85 million, a steal considering the property's usual market value. However, the offer was only valid for three days, so Castle needed to act fast.
Second, Castle wanted to check in with Big Ivan, his head of security, to see how he had handled the disposal of Marcus and Paul's bodies. Castle couldn't afford to leave any trace of them.
Castle also brought along Moz, who had been enjoying a quiet afternoon of wine and music in his Brooklyn hideout. Castle rudely interrupted, dragging Moz along to Long Island to handle the legal paperwork and negotiations for the estate purchase. Moz, feeling more than a little resentful, silently cursed his choice of friends.
After arriving at the estate, Castle met with the butler, who explained that the current owner, caught in a financial crisis, was desperate for cash. That's why the price was so low. Castle handed the negotiations over to Moz, confident that he'd secure the deal. Whether they managed to haggle down the price or not, Castle could easily afford the $85 million. Besides, he planned to take out a loan for the purchase, which would help with tax deductions later.
With Moz handling the estate, Castle went to the smaller building on the property, where Big Ivan and his men were staying.
Big Ivan greeted Castle warmly and, before Castle could even ask, proudly explained how he had dealt with the bodies. Rather than take matters into his own hands, Big Ivan had contacted the Continental Hotel's cleanup crew, specialists in crime scene disposal. For the mere price of two "Gold Lion" coins, they had made sure that Marcus and Paul's bodies were gone for good.
Castle smirked, relieved to know that the bodies had been thoroughly and professionally erased from existence. There would be no trace of them ever again.
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